The end of term has arrived with a very busy final week of the year.  Monday 13th saw the first ever Primary School Outreach Event: The Brazil Fair.  75 boys from Years 4 and 5 from our primary feeder schools spent a few hours in school completing a number of activities with a Brazil theme.  The boys spent about 30 minutes on each of the three sessions: Samba Drumming, Brazil Cooking and Carnival Mask Making.  The boys had a fantastic afternoon, and seeing our students and staff engage with them showing them what it means to be a part of the MGS community was a delight.  Hopefully we will see similar events in the future.

 Sadly the weather on Tuesday required us to move the annual Sports Day to Thursday, but once again Sports Day was an excellent event involving the entire school community.  There were many very good individual performances but seeing Year 12 getting stuck in to their last Sports Day was memorable.  Well done to Max Reid of Year 12 took part in every event and won every event, and congratulations to Rory Kuypers of Year 9 who broke the school 100m record which has stood for 30 years.  Many thanks to everyone who took part, and thank you to all the parents who came along and joined us in the day. 

Wednesday saw the annual Staff vs. Student Cricket Match, but sadly the rain on Tuesday meant that the students could not go out and watch.  The staff put up a good fight with a great opening partnership of 48 runs by Mr Highsted and Mr Shillito, but a collapse of the middle order meant that the staff only reached 113 off the 20 overs.  The students then batted and did so with a level of kindness so as not to embarrass the staff.  They made the runs in just 14 overs, but could have made the total much sooner.  Well done boys.

Finally, following the last day of the term and the final assembly, the School invited back a number of former students to attend the Old Maidstonian Day.  On Saturday 18th July the first Old Maidstonian Day took place.  It was a beautiful day with a number of OMs back in their school, catching up with old friends, meeting new ones and reminiscing about their time at MGS.  With the superb weather we were all able to enjoy a lovely BBQ and a glass of punch in the School Quad and have a tour of the School and enjoy many artifacts from the School Archive.  Thank you to everyone who attended and many thanks to the staff, students, Parents' Association and friends of the School who all help to organise the event. 

Thank you for a wonderful year, have a lovely holiday and see you in September.

Since returning to normal school I have received so many positive comments from students, staff and parents about this year's Extended Learning Week.  The weather clearly helped, the Wednesday could have been cooler though, and the variety of activities really did bring a diverse experience to the week.  Many thanks once again go to the staff who spent a great deal of time preparing for the week, and to the students who threw themselves into it.  Well done all.

Last week I completed my round of visiting each Year 7 class to teach them a PSHCE lesson.  Every year I teach one lesson to each Year 7 class so as to get to know them a little bit, and for them to get to know me.  I always look forward to the lessons, and I hope that the boys go home and talk about what they have learnt.  I endeavour to shed some light on the concept of Emotional Intelligence, and complete four activities to promote certain themes within the subject. 

Two events took place last week that highlight the diverse nature to our community.  On Thursday the Year 6 Induction Day took place where all of the boys joining MGS in September spent a day in school.  The day provides an opportunity for the boys to experience a little of what it means to be a Maidstonian, as well as hopefully developing new friendships.  Seeing the boys attend our weekly Quad assembly with the rest of the School and watching them enjoy the many team building activities is such a pleasure.  The day ended with their parents joining us for a cup of tea and a piece of cake with many excited boys quickly reporting back on their day.  We look forward to welcoming them all after the summer holiday.

The week ended with many from the School community celebrating Founders Day and Lower School Speech Day.  We all processed down to All Saints Church for the Founders Day Service to acknowledge the founding of the School in 1549 and to listen to Mrs Sewell’s husband giving the sermon led by the new vicar of Maidstone, Revd Ian Parrish.  We then returned to school for the afternoon's speeches and prize giving to Years 7 - 10.  At each Speech Day we welcome many from the wider school community: parents, governors, friends and Old Maidstonians to witness the celebration of the achievements of the Lower School.  This year's Guest of Honour was Mrs Michele Anderson, former Deputy Head who left in 2014.  Congratulations again to all prize winners and to the whole school for a wonderful 2014-15 year. 

The final week of school brings with it excited students, tired staff, anxious parents and a number of end of term events: the Year 5 Brazil Fair, Sports Day, Staff vs Students Cricket Match, publication of the Summer Newsletter, the Terry Shambler Memorial Concert and the Final Assembly.  A busy week to a busy year.

I wish you all a pleasant holiday, and we'll see you on Wednesday 2nd September.

I wish to begin by thanking everyone who helped make last week's Extended Learning Week a great success.  To the members of staff who not only worked hard during the week itself, but also spent many hours behind the scenes in the months leading up to the Week preparing for it; and to the large number of Year 11, 13 and Old Maidstonians who returned to school to help out the younger boys.  It is this aspect of the Week where older students support younger ones that defines the relationships that develop at MGS.   For many, Extended Learning Week is the highlight of the year; working with a variety of students from different ages in something not normally seen at school is incredibly rewarding.  Once again the boys responded with enthusiasm and energy and all conducted themselves in a way we have come to expect at MGS.  There were so many words of praise from staff, volunteers and guides about our boys and their behaviour, so well done all.  I hope your child came home each day with excitement and keen to return the following day.  I also hope you were able to track the progress of the week with our new Twitter account @mgsgrammar, and this is something, alongside this Blog, that we wish to make more use of in the future.   

Alongside the Extended Learning Week for Years 7 – 10, Year 12 students took part in a week of Work Experience.  On return to school yesterday I have had a chance to catch up with a few Year 12 students who said they thoroughly enjoyed their week and learnt so much about the work they did, how it could help them in the future and what they should do now to secure their plans.

There are now two weeks remaining of the summer term, but they will be filled with a number of important events in our calendar.  On Thursday this week all of next year’s Year 7 spend a day in school attending the Year 6 Induction Day.  They will meet new friends, be introduced to their Form Tutor and spend time getting to know many of the important features of MGS.  Friday this week is our annual Lower School Speech Day; a day where we acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of the boys in Years 7 to 10 during the 2014-15 academic year.  We welcome back Mrs Anderson, who was Deputy Head of MGS from 2006 to 2014, as this year's Guest of Honour.  We hope the weather is good to allow Speech Day to take place in the School Quad; a setting fit for the occasion. 

Congratulations to the U13 and U15 cricket teams for making the finals of the Maidstone Schools District Competition. Good luck to both teams in their respective finals.
Advance notice to remind you all that next Tuesday is the annual MGS Sports Day and next Wednesday is the Staff vs. 1st XI Cricket Match; both events parents are welcome to attend.  Please just arrive in school and sign in at Reception.  Sports Day takes place during the entire day starting around 9am and finishing about 3pm.  The cricket match on the following day starts at 2.30pm.  Also, and something that is going to be special for MGS is the Terry Shambler Memorial Concert, which is taking place next Thursday 16^th July at 7pm.  Terry, a student who left MGS last year, was sadly killed in a traffic accident whilst on holiday last July.  This concert will be a permanent event in the School’s calendar as it is important that we continue to go on remembering Terry.  Please do come along and support.
 

Headmaster

I write this following a glorious day on the river supervising the Rowing activity during the Extended Learning Week.  So many of the boys in Years 7 to 10 now look forward to this annual week of activities, and I hope that you son is thoroughly enjoying himself whatever he is doing.  This year there are so many different activities which are adding to the development of better links and relationships amongst boys between different year groups.  Friendship is the over pinning quality that we want to focus on during this year’s week.  Please do log on to the school website each day and follow our twitter feed to find out more about what you sons are getting up to.  Year 12 students this week are enjoying their week of work experience; finding things out about themselves and of the places of interest they have chosen to go.  I look forward to hearing from them their experiences.  

Thursday and Friday last week was Sixth Form Induction; where our current Year 11s, joined by a large group of external students, experienced what it is like being an MGS Sixth Form student.  A number of activities took place ranging from a ‘getting to know you’ session to taster lessons in each of their A-Level choices.  The School was busy again, which was good to see, and it is hoped that this new cohort adds to the already improved Sixth Form ethos. 

Thursday was a busy day: we held a coffee morning for parents who wanted to find out more on how we are supporting their child with any additional education or medical needs.  It proved to be a great success and thank you to the parents who came in, and to the members of staff who led on the presentations.  In addition to this we also had an ‘Investors in Careers’ assessor in school assessing how we provide high quality careers education, information, advice and guidance (CEIAG) to the student body.  Not only did we gain re-approval of our work but the assessor could make virtually no comment on how we could improve on what we do such is the quality of the programme.  Many, many thanks to Mrs Acaster, Mr Smith and the students for spending time with the assessor and to Mrs Acaster for creating an excellent programme of events that include a number of work related focus days, enterprise education and the BBC School Report.  CEIAG is very much appreciated by the student body, and it remains one of the great strengths of MGS.

 

Finally, last week we received the draft review of MGS that will be appearing in the next edition of The Good Schools Guide.  MGS has never appeared in the Guide, but with our on-going developments and improvements over the last few years we were invited this year to appear.  The article is such a pleasure to read and makes one feel even more proud of the School.  The next edition of the Guide will be published later in the year so do look out for it.

 

Headmaster

Despite this time of year being slightly quieter without Years 11 and 13, the weeks are still packed full of events.  Last week I attended a very informative Grammar School Heads’ Association conference where we discussed a number of matters such as funding, curriculum and accountability changes and the impact grammar schools are having on social mobility.  The conference closed with Boris Johnson, MP speaking about ‘Grammar Schools in the 21^st Century’.  Putting our political persuasion and opinion of him to one side, we were all completely absorbed by his presence and by the way in which he delivered his speech.  He was witty, intelligent, well-informed, and articulated incredibly well the similarities between the impact grammar schools have in society to the importance and impact of cities around the world; it was a pleasure to hear him speak. 

Returning to school following the conference on Thursday last week MGS held its annual Art Exhibition and Summer Concert.  The exhibition was once again a delight to walk around and the quality of art work from the Year 11, 12 and 13 students was very high indeed.  Congratulations to all the prize winners, and everyone who had their work displayed should feel very proud.  Well done all.  Alongside the Art Exhibition was the Summer Concert which was able to be held in the Quad due to the glorious weather.  The selection of music this year was varied ranging from the Theme to Downton Abbey to Beethoven’s Adagio in F Major.  It was such a pleasant way to spend an early evening in the sunshine. 

At the weekend the Parents’ Association held its annual Family Fun and Sports Day to raise money for the association and to bring the community of the School together.  The weather held off for most of the time, which made for an enjoyable day; many people enjoyed the opportunity of winning chocolate on the tombola, sipping at a glass of Pimm’s and scrambling across the inflatable assault course.  Thank you to everyone who came along and to the many of you who donated money, cakes, chocolates and other items for the tombola and stalls.  These events are so important for the MGS Community and I thank the Parents’ Association for working hard to organise it.

This week is another busy one: last night I attended a meeting of the MGS Development Fund Trustees discussing how the Fund is progressing and what things we can continue to work on to see it develop.  Tonight is the last Full Governors’ Meeting of the academic year where, as you can appreciate, we share what has happened during the year and look forward to the next.  Remember, anyone is welcome to attend a governors’ meeting as an observer, and if you would like to do so then please make contact with The Clerk to the Governing Body, Mrs Friend.  Her email address is school@mgs-kent.org.uk.  On Wednesday the leaving Year 13 students return to school for their Leavers’ Tea followed in the evening with their Sixth Form Ball which this year is taking place at Mountains, Hildenborough.  These events are always a pleasure to go to as it is an opportunity to really say goodbye to the leaving students and also see them in their best gear.  And finally this week the new cohort of Sixth Form students for the next academic year attend school for two days at the Sixth Form Induction Conference. 

I hope you found the first Headmaster's Blog informative, giving you some idea of what goes on behind the scenes at MGS.
Last week saw the return of Year 12 following their AS Level examinations. They completed two days of activities that covered a number of important aspects from how to go about writing a UCAS Personal Statement, understanding how to manage one's finances and what to do in an emergency situation when required to give basic first aid. Today Year 12 return to normal lessons embarking on their A2 studies; it is good to have them back. Last Friday I went on my second visit to another grammar school to see what they do there and what we could learn from them.

I visited Dr Challoner's Grammar School in Amersham, Buckinghamshire and spoke to a number of staff and students about a variety of things: teaching and learning, pastoral structures, staff development, all things 6th Form, and Development Funds. I came away with some good ideas and will be sharing them with the rest of the MGS community soon.

Sharing some good news, George Oram, an Old Maidstonian aged 21, has signed a professional contract for Rotherham Titans in the Rugby IPA Championship. Not only this but he also represented England Counties on their tour of Romania last month where they won both their games. George started the first match at number 8 and came off of the bench for their second win. Congratulations George.

Later in the year in November the Maidstone Riverside Rotary Club is organising a sponsored swim to raise money for Children In Need and other local charities. 24 teams of between four and six swimmers will swim as many lengths as possible in 30 minutes - the event is open to teams of anyone and of any ability. MGS has a very close relationship with the Rotary Club and so wishes to support this event and encourage keen swimmers to take part. If you would like to know more or simply register a team then please visit www.swimrelay.co.uk. Many thanks.

This week I am attending the Grammar School Heads' Association annual conference. It takes place every June and provides a great opportunity for all the Heads of grammar schools to network, share ideas and come away with some new ones. This year Boris Johnson MP is the keynote speaker giving the case for 'Grammar Schools in the 21st Century'. I have never heard him speak but I am sure he will be fascinating to listen to and provide the odd smile as he delivers it in the only way he knows how!
Headmaster

We returned to school following the May Half Term with an Inset Day which was essentially divided into two main sessions.  Firstly, in the morning, I shared with the staff where I see MGS in five years’ time: the 2020 Vision!  This was followed by a large discussion on how we currently see our House structure, but more importantly where we see it developing in the near future.  Both the 2020 Vision and the outcome of the House discussions will be shared with the rest of the MGS Community in the coming weeks and months. 

The second part of the day was to provide more time for subject departments to continue the important work they have been doing for the last year or so preparing their schemes of learning to reflect the curriculum changes at both A-Level and GCSE.  Many changes are afoot and it is vital to ensure what we do at MGS takes into account these changes and continues to stretch and challenge our students to ensure they go on achieving the high standards we expect of them.  On Wednesday I spent a day away from school visiting Pate's Grammar School in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.  It is important as a Headmaster to look outwards and see how other schools do things and see how we can develop what we do.  This will be followed by another visit to another grammar school in Buckinghamshire later in the term.  I am looking at a number of aspects: teaching and learning, curriculum and accountability changes, pastoral structures, how we monitor and support the development of staff, the recruitment of good quality teachers and the issues related to reduced budgets.  These visits not only provide opportunities to experience new ideas and approaches, but also provide time, in what is a busy job, to reflect and consider how we can do things in a different way. 

On Thursday, myself, the two Deputy Heads and my PA spent some time evaluating every aspect of the School by reviewing our School Evaluation Form. (SEF)  Each school has some form of self evaluation process as it is important to be reflective and self-critical.  The aim was to produce one concise document that reflects the workings of the School and helps to identify what things are important to do to go on developing.  This will then contribute to the creation of the School Development Plan (SDP).  Both the SEF and SDP are for internal use only, but many aspects of them will be shared throughout the year in this Blog and our Termly Newsletters. 

I hope you all value the introduction of the Headmaster's Blog and see it as an opportunity to keep you updated with what we do sometimes behind the scenes and share news that sometimes your child forgets to tell you when you get home!

 
Mr Tomkins